General rules for forming the diminutive in Spanish

In general, it is very easy to turn a Spanish word into a diminutive, you just must modify the ending and add the suffix. However, there are some grammatical rules that you should know before changing words to diminutives.

If the word ends in a vowel, you simply add the diminutive suffix. For example:

• Gato → Gatito (Cat)
• Mesa → Mesita (Table)
• Abuela → Abuelita (Grandma)
• Limón → Limoncito (Lemon)

If the word ends in a consonant a linking vowel is added before the suffix. For example:

• Amor → Amorcito (Love)
• Arroz → Arrocito (Rice)
• Calor → Calorcito (Heat)
• Nariz → Naricilla (Nose)

In very short words, the suffix is specially adapted to become diminutive:

• Pan → Panecito or Panecillo (Bread)
• Sol → Solecito (Sun)
• Flor → Florcita or Florecilla (Flower)

If you want to make diminutives of a Spanish word with diphthongs or hiatuses it is more complicated, but you can do it without any problem. In these cases, some words require adjustments to maintain the sonority. For example:

• Piedra → Piedrecita (Stone)
• Ruido → Ruidito (Noise)
• Aire → Airecillo (Air)

• Read more about enforex_pages_landing_block_a0c9e628-7c57-4c3c-9c6e-072e74c9910e

Have you ever wondered how to form diminutives in Spanish? If the answer is yes, in this donQuijote article you’ll learn the keys to master this technique in Spanish.

The Spanish diminutive is one of the most useful and easy-to-use tools in the Spanish language. It is used to express smallness, affection, sympathy or even to soften an idea. So, as a student of Spanish, mastering the diminutive can be a fun way to enrich your knowledge and vocabulary, as well as bring you closer to a more natural and colloquial use of the language.

Venture into the language and sign up to learn Spanish in Spain with us, let's explore how diminutives work in Spanish!

Although if you prefer, you can change the language of this article to Spanish, French, Italian or Dutch.

What is a Spanish diminutive?

If you remember our post about Spanish prefixes and suffixes, you may have guessed that a diminutive in Spanish is a suffix that is added to a word to modify its meaning. Usually, Spanish diminutives indicate smallness, but they can also convey affection, kindness, respect or even an ironic tone, depending on the context.

Here are some of the simplest diminutives in Spanish:

• Casa → Casita (House)
• Flor → Florecita (Flower)
• Mano → Manita (Hand)
• Árbol → Arbolito (Tree)

As you have seen, in Spanish the most common suffixes to form the diminutive are -ito / -ita. These diminutives are used in much of the Spanish-speaking world and are the most frequent. More examples: Libro → Librito (book) or Perro → Perrito (dog).

Another very common diminutive in Spanish is -illo / -illa. It is used mostly in some regions of Spain and Latin America and sometimes has a slightly derogatory or humorous nuance. For example: Pan → Panecillo (bread) or Chico → Chiquillo (boy).

We continue with -ico / -ica. This diminutive is widely used in certain areas of Spain, especially in Aragon, and in countries such as Colombia, Venezuela and Costa Rica. Some examples are: Pequeño → Pequeñico (boy) or Mano → Manica (hand).

The diminutive -ete / -eta is used less frequently, but you may hear it in some informal contexts. Usually, this diminutive forms words of affective or derogatory value. Examples: Amigo → Amiguete (friend) or Melón → Meloncete (melon).

This diminutive is even less common than the previous one, but it is good to keep in mind since it is often used in colloquial and informal language: -uelo / -uela. It can also give a diminutive or affective feeling. Example: Copa → Copichuela, Joven → Jovenzuelo or Calle → Callejuela.

• Read more about enforex_pages_landing_block_1b7b365b-db7f-4a0b-8ddf-d27acbada80a

• Read more about Spanish diminutives. What and how to use them and examples

Spanish diminutives: how to use them and examples Spanish diminutives. Discover with donQuijote what Spanish diminutives are, how to use them and practical examples with real Spanish diminutive phrases. Grammar Spanish diminutives. Discover with donQuijote what Spanish diminutives are, how to use them and practical examples with real Spanish diminutive phrases. diminutive, spanish diminutive, diminutive in spanish Off Marta Díaz

Combined Spanish 20 + 5

This course is designed for those who are looking for intensive and personalized learning in Spanish, aimed at achieving solid and meaningful progress. Through 20 group classes and 5 individual sessions each week, you will have the opportunity to strengthen your general language skills, while exploring and deepening specific topics of personal interest in the private classes.

This is an ideal option for those who wish to improve their communication skills in real-life situations and see results in a short period of time. The private sessions offer individualized attention that will allow you to address and overcome any particular challenge, optimizing your time investment and ensuring constant progress in your language proficiency.

COMBINED SPANISH 20 + 10

Designed for those seeking complete immersion and accelerated learning, this course combines 20 group classes with 10 private sessions per week. This structure will allow you to work in depth on key areas of the language and perfect both fluency and accuracy in your communication.

Ideal for students whose goal is to achieve an advanced and effective command of Spanish in just a few weeks, this course provides the necessary support to improve in specific areas of the language, integrating cultural and linguistic aspects in a practical way. Supported by a personalized approach, you will develop a deep understanding of Spanish and move confidently towards your language goals.

Combine your Intensive 20 with private lessons to accelerate your learning

• Read more about enforex_pages_inner_three_block_81c24eb1-d706-481b-a3bd-380b824fe930

If you want to practice finding the differences and learn to identify the Spanish direct and indirect objects, you can do it with the examples above. Also, you can use the trick of substituting for pronouns and find out what type of complement it is.

In the sentences you will see below, you will find some examples above with the substituted pronouns and with the questions to the verb.

• Yo compré una casa -> Yo la compré (¿Qué compré?) -- (I bought it. What did I buy?)
• Le expliqué la lección a los estudiantes -> Les expliqué la lección (¿A quién expliqué la lección?) – (I explained the lesson to them. To whom did I explain the lesson?)
• Juan pintó un cuadro hermoso - > Juan lo pintó (¿Qué pintó Juan?) – (Juan painted it. What did Juan paint?)
• Preparé un café para mi padre -> Le preparé un café (¿Para quién preparé un café?) – (I prepared a coffee for him. Who did I prepare a coffee for?)
• Vimos una película en el cine ayer -> La vimos en el cine ayer (¿Qué vimos en el cine ayer?) – (We saw it at the cinema yesterday. What did we see at the cinema yesterday?)
• Conté una historia a los niños -> Les conté una historia (¿A quién conté una historia?) – (I told them a story. To whom did I tell a story?)

As you may have seen, in some of the previous sentences there are two objects, one direct and one indirect, and in all cases, both can be substituted at the same time. For example: “Conté una historia a los niños” (I told a story to the children) - > Se la conté (I told it to them). In this case, the Spanish indirect object “a los niños” becomes “se”, while the Spanish direct object “una historia” becomes “la”.

Although you may think it is complicated, with a little practice you will be able to differentiate the Spanish direct object pronouns from the indirect one without any problems. And if you have more doubts, you can consult with a qualified teacher in one of our Spanish courses. Come and live a unique and unforgettable experience with donQuijote while you learn Spanish in Spain and master the identification of complements in Spanish.

• Read more about enforex_pages_landing_block_64e79d3a-7442-416c-a2af-5a22d6cd052a

Examples of Spanish direct object

Here are some examples of sentences with Spanish direct object:

• Compré una casa (I bought a house)
• Leí un libro interesante (I read an interesting book)
• Juan pintó un cuadro hermoso (Juan painted a beautiful painting)
• Vimos una película en el cine ayer (We saw a movie at the cinema yesterday)
• Rompí un plato por accidente (I broke a plate by accident)
• Estudié matemáticas toda la tarde (I studied mathematics all afternoon)
• Limpiaron la cocina después de la cena (Cleaned the kitchen after dinner)
• Escribí un poema para mi abuela (I wrote a poem for my grandmother)
• Cocinamos una pizza para la fiesta (We cooked a pizza for the party)
• Bebimos agua después de correr (Drank water after a run)

Examples of Spanish indirect object

Here are some examples of sentences with Spanish indirect objects:

• Escribí una carta a mi amiga (I wrote a letter to my friend)
• Pedro regaló flores a su madre (Pedro gave flowers to his mother)
• Le expliqué la lección a los estudiantes (I explained the lesson to the students)
• Preparé un café para mi padre (I made coffee for my father)
• Conté una historia a los niños (I told a story to the children)
• Siempre digo la verdad a mis padres (I always tell the truth to my parents)
• Le enviaron un paquete a María (Sent a package to Maria)
• Pedimos ayuda al profesor (We asked the teacher for help)
• Mostré las fotos a mis amigos (I showed the pictures to my friends)
• Compré regalos para mi sobrino (I bought presents for my nephew)

• Read more about enforex_pages_landing_block_0786403a-d74a-4306-ac94-be0237a4d25a

Differences between Spanish direct and indirect objects

Both direct and indirect objects in Spanish are complements of the verb, but their difference lies in the information they provide about the action they express. Therefore, the Spanish direct object directly receives the action of the verb, and the Spanish indirect object is the addressee of the action.

Another difference between these two complements is that each one affects a type of verb in the Spanish sentence structure. The Spanish direct object only appears in transitive verbs, while the Spanish indirect object can be attached to both transitive and intransitive verbs, although it is not always necessary.

In addition, both complements can appear together in the same sentence, but this does not always have to be the case. But, as a rule, you will find one or the other, so knowing how to tell them apart is vital.

Here are some tricks to help you distinguish whether it is a Spanish direct or indirect object in a sentence:

• Pronominal substitution. The Spanish direct object can be replaced by the pronouns “lo”, “la”, “los” or “las”. While the Spanish indirect object can be replaced by “le” or “les”.
• Transform the sentence to passive voice. If we change the sentence from active to passive voice, the Spanish direct object becomes the subject of the passive, while the Spanish indirect object does not change its function.
• Asking the verb “Qué” or “A quién”. Another trick is to ask the verb of the sentence what happens (qué) or to whom (a quién) the action happens. This way, you will be able to find out whether the object is direct or indirect.
• Double pronoun “se”. If both objects are used in a sentence, the Spanish indirect pronoun will always change to “se”, while the Spanish direct pronoun will remain “la” or “lo”.

• Read more about enforex_pages_landing_block_b434c4b4-ec82-4d71-ac46-59bc9b5b91d2